Jonah Markowitz

A single location has been used in Television and Film in numerous ways. Whether it’s small scenes, long sequences or entire films, there’s always different ways to showcase one space. But Room 104 is the first of its kind - an anthology series, created by Mark and Jay Duplass, which features the same motel room and is set during different time periods with a different cast of characters.

In an exclusive interview with Interiors, we spoke with Jonah Markowitz, who is the Production Designer for Room 104.

INT: First off, we were curious how the opportunity to do the Television Show, Room 104, came about? What was it about it that made you want to work on it?

JM: The Producers of Room 104 were introduced to me through a mutual friend. When I heard about the concept of the show, I was immediately interested in coming on board. Specifically, it was something that I had never seen done before - one set for the entire run of a show. I’m always looking for new opportunities or something out of the box and unusual so I was intrigued. I was also very interested in working with the Duplass Brothers (Mark and Jay Duplass), who make unique, poignant and interesting films that break norms and standards in the industry. We actually met over Skype as I was abroad in New Zealand at the time and even though this doesn’t usually happen online, it was clear that we’d work well together. There was great chemistry there that continued as we moved into production.

INT: The show is a masterful anthology series that’s set in a single hotel room. Was your preparation and research any different for Room 104 knowing that this space would be used in every single episode?

JM: Preparation and research was different for this show compared to a project that had 50 or 100 sets. For one, the set had to be flawless yet flexible as it would be featured every week for the entire duration of the season. On top of that, character is always key in my design process, however, because the characters were going to be different in every single episode, I had to change my methods somewhat. Many filmmakers describe sets or locations as characters in and of themselves, but I like to think of a set as a stage that helps reveal who these characters actually are. Therefore, Room 104 would have to provide a stage for multiple characters to present themselves in over and over. The more I thought about this, the more I realized that we are all a different version of ourselves in a motel room, akin to what we are like when we get settled into a seat on an airplane - we all have rituals we go through to make ourselves comfortable that reveal who we are in some way. So I moved forward designing Room 104 as a set where a myriad of actors could show up and easily slide into the version of their character that would be in a motel. It was clearly important to incorporate concepts and features that would help facilitate this exploration of character into the design. We wanted to make sure the room felt real and lived in, so that actors didn’t feel like they were in a soundstage, but in a room somewhere on the side of the road. We did this through the simple construction of a motel room that would be familiar to all, paint and aging that made it feel authentic, and perfect details on every shelf and in every drawer, handled with intelligence and grace by set decorator, David Cook.

INT: In an Interview with Indiewire, Cinematographer Doug Emmett mentioned that there were discussions whether the room should contain elaborate designs and textures or be non-descript. From a Production Design standpoint, how did you try to achieve that balance between the space being showy and subtle?

JM: Conceiving the look of Room 104 was somewhat paradoxical - it had to look great and shoot well but also not take away from the stories being told within its four walls and actually look like a pretty low rent motel for the concept to work. Mark and Jay Duplass, the show’s creators, did not want this to look like anything more than what you would find anywhere in the United States - a true roadside motel that didn’t have a lot of character - not a dump, but also not an overly heightened version of the basic, non-descript motel room that everyone has stayed in at some point. We tried designing it to be “ugly” in the way that many of these motels are, but that just never felt right. We tried a stylized version of the set - going in the opposite direction, but it didn’t feel true to the show or as authentic as Mark and Jay’s other work, which was obviously very important. In the end, we went for a slightly more stylish version of what you’d probably find on the side of the road, but not styled so much that is didn’t feel real or too expensive. It was a tough balance to find with paint finish, set decoration, patterns and colors but we eventually found it.

INT: Are there any sequences or episodes from the show that stand out to you with the way they ended up filming the space?

JM: There are so many talented Directors that come to work on this show and they all bring a unique take to the room. We’ve done dance episodes where the room looked like a theatrical production, documentaries that call attention to its literal construction, period episodes from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s that show the history of the motel and even turned it into a jungle for one episode. That’s the great thing about working on this project - you never know what you’re going to be asked to do and even though it’s one room, there have been countless looks that we have achieved. Due to the way that we schedule our show, we often had to make these changes happen literally overnight, so the room is designed somewhat like a puzzle - it is modular and literally snaps apart to be able to change periods or looks in a matter of hours. It can even accommodate being two different time periods at the same time - 1978 in one half of the room for example and 2019 in the other, in order to have a split day if needed.

I also directed an Episode in Season 2, so it was rewarding to create some shots that had not been done before, shots that I had been thinking about since originally drawing the room. Right now, we are in between seasons, so we are all waiting to find out what new, interesting and off-the-wall ideas will be coming at us the next time we stand up Room 104.

Jonah Markowitz is a Production Designer and has worked on various Films, Television Series and Commercials.